October 14th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – The main armed opposition group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) led by the country’s former First Vice-President Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon said they do not have a partner in peace saying the government is not committed to smooth implementation of the agreement.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardiit and opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny signed a peace agreement in Ethiopia last month in an effort brokered by the east African bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to end the five-year old brutal conflict.
In an exclusive interview with the Nyamilepedia on Saturday, the SPLM-IO deputy chairperson the group’s national committee for information and public relations Manawa Peter Gatkuoth said SPLM-IO can not implement the agreement without a partner saying they have got not partner to implement the agreement together.
“SPLM-IO can not do anything alone because we have got no partner in peace with whom we can together implement this peace agreement because a peace agreement need not to be implemented by one party. So we do not have a partner to implement the agreement with because the other side is not willing,” Manawa said in the interview.
Gatkuoth said there is no any political will from the side of the South Sudan government that they are for peace saying they are exploiting the agreement to convince the region that they are for peace.
“There is no political will that shows they (government) are partners for peace upto now. They are using this agreement to just only convince the region and the world that they are for peace while they are doing something else,” Gatkuoth said.
Gatkuoth further added that the government is launching offensives to control the SPLM-IO areas instead of focusing on peace building to build measures that are necessary for the full implementation of the peace agreement.
“While the peace process is ongoing, they (government) are fighting us taking control of SPLM-IO areas,” he added.
